Birthday Massacre
The Birthday Massacre/Mexicali Live/Dec. 11, 2011
By Doktor John
Teaneck, NJ
Mexicali Live is an excellent venue for an event featuring an audio-visual performance group like The Birthday Massacre. Besides an exceptional sound system, it features a wide-open standing room, with dinner-table seating along one side-wall and in a loft-like second level at the far end of the room. All of these provide a reasonably good view of the elevated stage which is situated against the front wall facing backward into the auditorium. TBM were the headliners on this, the tenth stop on their nation-wide tour. Earlier stops were spent opening for another band, Dir En Grey, but this night the openers were old-school grrl punk rockers Verbal Equinox, and hard-core-metal quartet P T Grimm, featuring a politically agitated, potty-mouth male vocalist supported by a pair of theatrically slutty, faux cheerleaders.
As for TBM, they pleased the sold-out crowd of die-hard fans as well as new-comers with their over-the-top, thunderous, yet melodious metal as well as with creepy costumes and make-up. The visual style of this black-clad, black-tressed band was Tim Burton-esque and gory. Theatrical blood oozed from the chin of one performer and out of the ears of another. There was the customary element of innocence-defiled in the lyrics and the actions of the cutesy female lead vocalist.
The hour-plus set drew from TBM’s half dozen albums with emphasis on the 2010 Pin and Needles and the 2011 EP Imaginary Monsters. “Red Stars” from Walking With Strangers, “Horror Show” from Violet and “In the Dark” from Pins and Needles show-cased their synth-goth style. Every song is richly hook-laden and catchy. Power chord bursts of rhythm left just enough time in between for the forcedly sweet, 70s style vocals of female lead Chibi. The overall effect was somewhat like listening to Smashing Pumpkins at their most explosive accompanying Madonna at her most child-like.
After a brief goodnight, they returned with a pair of encore pieces, “Sleep Walking†and “Midnight,†both from the Pins and Needles. The crowd was ecstatic and cried for more.
